If you’re going to clock the best time possible in your sportive, you need to get your food and drink sorted – and that starts now. Getting it spot on can take several weeks because your needs won’t be exactly the same as anyone else’s.

How to stay properly hydrated

You might have read that you should drink 400-900ml of fluid an hour while riding – but that’s a big old band. You can work out more precisely what you need at varying intensities and in different weather conditions by following this simple process over several rides:

2. Record your fuel intake. On your return, note down the amount you drank and ate during your ride. We’ll say it was 1500ml, which weighs 1.5kg, and three gels of 0.06kg each, so you’ve taken a total of 1.68kg on board

5. Calculate your total loss. Add the weight of the food to the bodyweight change: 1.8 + 1.68 = 3.48kg

6. Take into account any bathroom stops because this will mean losses are actually higher still. Estimate it – don’t get out the measuring jug!

7. Divide your total losses by the number of hours you spent riding: 3.48 ÷ 3hrs = 1.16kg lost per hour. It’s not only fluid you lose; carbohydrate reserves and the water stored with it can account for a drop of 1-1.5kg

Don’t expect to get to the end of your training ride or your goal event at the exactly the same weight as you started, but eat and drink enough to be within 1-2kg. Never be more than 2-3 per cent down in mass unless it’s a really demanding ride where, despite your best efforts, you can’t get adequate fuel down

Sports drinks and what to drink when

What should you drink when you ride?

While water is fine for rides up to an hour, beyond that you’ll do better if you get sports drinks down.

Use the TEST IT acronym: Try Everything Several Times In Training.

Don’t be tempted to heap loads of extra drink powder into your waterbottle to supercharge your ride – it’ll slow down the rate of absorption, unless you are using a unique polymer like Science in Sport’s PSP-22 which can be used at higher concentrations… but, as ever, test it out in training.

Do choose a drink that contains electrolytes, particularly sodium. This will speed up the delivery of fluid to your body, so it’s especially important on longer rides.

Do go for a drink that you really enjoy the taste of – that way you’re far more likely to drink enough.

Do get into the habit of drinking plenty before you go out on your bike so that you start off fully hydrated, and continue drinking afterwards – a little and often – to aid recovery. If you’ve trained for over an hour, make it a carb drink.

Plus other information in this article cover:

How much energy you’ll need?

Research fuel stops?

Get smart?

Get your food and drink right and you’re well on the way to ensuring that your sportive is a success. It’s a simple enough process – as long as you get on the case well in advance.

Don’t forget BikeRadar Live is the biggest ever mass-participation cycling event to hit the UK, and will take place on the weekend of 30–31 May 2009 at Donington Park in Leicestershire.